Well despite the last clear hours of the day on Saturday, Sunday morning was grey, with a little drizzle.

Sunday was a day without grapes for the home domaine, so I’d planned for a group of us to go to Hotel Montrachet for breakfast – simply the best surroundings, food and price in the Côte d’Or for breakfast I think – unfortunately a couple of our number had to work (poor Mark de Morey and Jon Wyand…). Still, David Clark joined me and two (high class) stageurs for a leisurely, almost brunch (by the time we finished!). David hasn’t yet harvested what were his grapes in Morey and Vosne, but will be helping Yann Charlopin in the next days. Post-brunch we made a 2CV tour through the vines back to Beaune – a few isolated groups of harvesters were spotted among the rows.

After the conspicuous consumption of the last days, not just the morning, I decided to break out the running shoes and took a trip to Aloxe and back. I popped in at Domaine Dublère where they had just finished lunch – Blair was catching (an apparently well-earned) 40 winks so I didn’t disturb him. Next stop-off was in Aloxe where I caught up with Michael and Fiona Ragg at Mischief & Mayhem; their Aloxe-Corton was still on the vine (and looking very nice) but they were planning to cut on Tuesday – probably the same day they would also harvest their small plot of Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Gravains – apparently spared from the hail, but I didn’t see that. Feeling more worthy (if leg-weary) I was back in Beaune for a shower and a snooze.

In the early evening, just as the sun was firing its first and last beams of the day onto the hill of Corton, we visited Domaine Marius Delarche in Pernand. Etienne Delarche is running the show and I tasted some lovely wine – I must pay another visit sometime – they have about 12 cuvées, amongst which I tasted lovely 09s from Pernand Sous Fretile, Pernand Ile des Vergelesses and Corton Renardes. We finished with a glass of 2012 Corton-Charlemagne – some really lovely wines from this 8 hectare estate (2 ha in Grand Cru), but they are largely pre-sold…

So then there was dinner with multiple wines and an extra helping of the excellent Beef Bourguignone – frankly, now I was no-longer feeling so worthy!

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